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CHAPTER ONE
ON PAPER, THE journey had see But for Joe it had been a blink-and-you’ve-missed-it kind of day Go and show your little boy a part of the world where you can make some new memories That hat his mother had said to him as she’d handed him the plane tickets to Vietnam
She had been right He’d known she was right And that she was finally giving him the push he needed
After that, everything had passed in a blur Getting all their vaccinations, finishing up at work, packing, handing over his house keys to a letting agency andsure all his mail was redirected to his mother’s house
By the time he’d sat down on the plane he had been well and truly ready for a rest But his stomach had had other ideas It had fluttered in a weird kind of way It had been so long since he’d felt excitenised the sensation
Regan had loved the journey Betatchingquestions he’d been a great travelling coan stared in wonder at the green landscape ‘It’s just like home!’ he said with a smile
Joe couldn’t stop the ache in his heart This whole trip was about ot that Inside he was ready—up until now he just hadn’t quite an did so—it could be a wave of his hand or a look in his eye—that reminded him of Esther He’d never push away the ache that ca she couldn’t see this—couldn’t share this ht, brave little boy he was beco
Joe leaned over and stared out of thetoo He’d half expected to see a city landscape but it seeow’s Maybe this place would be more familiar than he expected
The airport was filled with a an’s hand as they navigated through passport control and collected their luggage A guy dressed in a white shirt and casual trousers was leaning against a pillar, holding a piece of paper with their names hastily scrawled in black on it
Dr Joe Lennox and son
He juggled pulling the cases while still keeping hold of Regan as he gave the guy a nod Around hiuy spoke a little English
‘Dr Joe?’ the guy asked
He nodded again The guy held out his hand ‘Rudi I’rabbed hold of the two cases and started walking quickly to the exit ‘From Scotland?’ he said over his shoulder
Joe nodded again and bent to pick up Regan, lengthening his strides to keep up
‘I know all the football teams Which is your favourite?’
Joe laughed It didn’t matter where he went on the planet, Scotland was known for its football and most conversations started off this way
It didn’t take the to hit hectic traffic It seemed the whole world travelled by scooter or motorbike in Hanoi Re
gan was tired and tucked in under Joe’s arainst his chest
For the briefest of seconds Joe had a an didn’t like it here? He didn’t have his grandparents for reassurance This was coan had experienced before As he brushed his hand over his son’s soft hair, he had a flashback to Esther Regan shared his an tended to ju boys he was fearless And that made Joe’s heart swell He didn’t ever want his son to lose that element
After half an hour Joe couldn’t resist winding down thein the car to let the sounds and s that struck hi looked, from people to shops to transport to homes
Colour was everywhere They drove by a row of shops with red, blue and yellonings, while packed above, alether, were flats
One was in pink brick, with a balcony on each level, next door hite, with plants trailing doards the awning beneath, next was the thinnest block of flats he’d ever seen, its first balcony entirely taken up with a dining table and chairs Next came a pale blue block, littered with children’s toys, then a flat of unknown colour because green foliage completely covered the roof and the outside walls
It was like a higgledy-piggledy town constructed fro The area in front of the shops was packed with street vendors, food carts, a variety of tourist souvenirs and brightly coloured long-sleeved shirts A tiny part of the chaos of the stalls reow He smiled as he wondered if the street vendors here used as colourful language as the guys back home
The driver pointed out places as they drove into the Ba Dinh district—then into the French quarter The French Colonial architecture was evident all around the further away from the more tourist-oriented areas and out towards the suburbs It was denser here, street vendors everywhere, but poverty was evident at every turn A little prickle ran down his spine Again, it reery served one of the ow
Children were running happily through the streets, and even though they were still in the city, strips of green occasionally showed The taxi turned down a slightly wider street The houses were different here, not as packed in as before These looked like private residences, each with a little round around them
The taxi driver pulled up in front of a large, pale yelloo-storey French colonial-style house that was a little shabby around the edges There was a sign just above the door: ‘May M?n Hospital’ The driver turned and s out to open the door for the the close, ware fro his head fros
There were several sis What once must have been residences seemed to have been converted Two appeared to be restaurants, another a hotel It was clear that once the houses had been very grand, though now they all looked a bit run-down Paintas a little faded, sohtly crooked, and eneral air of tiredness The only thing that seen above the door: May M?n Hospital
The driver collected their cases from the boot and followed hih the wide double doors and stopped